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Cleaning / Washing

Machine Wash Warm. Do Not Bleach. Do Not Add Detergent or Softener. Cool Tumble Dry or Hang. Remove Promptly.

► Bleach and surfactants in laundry detergent and fabric softeners can chemically break down the black carbon static shielding fabric woven into ESD smocks and lab coats. Do not add them to wash.

The surfactants in commercial detergents usually include anionic (negatively charged) chemicals: alkyl sulfates, alkyl ethoxylate sulfates and soaps in the ingredient list of your detergent. These can strip the conductive carbon threading of its positive ions leaving it predisposed to carrying negative charges.

These are used to remove oily dirt and stains. However, if you have hard water (water that is full of minerals like calcium and magnesium) non-ionic surfactants are more effective. Non-ionic surfactants have no electrical charge. You’ll find these surfactants listed as ethers of fatty alcohols on the label.

While non-ionic surfactants are generally acceptable, in reality, most commercial detergents include both anionic and nonionic surfactants.

Chlorine bleach should also never be used with these garments. It attacks carbon bonds (which is effective in removing dyes from white clothes or discoloring clothes) which destroy the carbon threading of the garments. Non-chlorine bleaches are those used in “color-safe” commercial bleaches that are activated by contact with oxygen in the water. These are known as oxidizing bleaches: hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, and sodium perborate. While not as destructive to the carbon threading as chlorine bleach they are alkalines that can remove carbon with repeated use.

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ESD Control

Resistance to Charging. The ratio of polyester (the color of the fabric) to carbon (the black thread woven in a grid) in the smock means it is static dissipative: resisting charging when the wearer rubs the smock against itself or other objects.